This invention relates to tube compressing valves having a permanent magnet actuator and particularly relates to such a valve which may be advantageously used within an animal's body to extracorporeally control fluid flow. 2. Description of Prior Art
Within the body of animals and particularly humans are many liquid-carrying tubes or ducts subject to voluntary or involuntary control by the body. Such control is often lost due to spinal cord or brain injury, disease, accidental or surgical damage, congenital defect, or other similar cause. It is then desirable that such control be re-established by artificial means which would cause the least disruption to the system involved as well as other tissues in the body. It is also occasionally desirable to establish an external or extracorporeal control to experimentally examine abnormal bodily functions or periodically prevent the fluid flow in particularly important time frames.
Previous means for controlling the liquid flow through tubes of ducts within the body have often required placing an element within the duct or tube, thus subjecting that element to possibily detrimental chemical action. With the element so placed, the liquid flow is never returned to normal due to the constriction presented by the element even when fully opened.
Other efforts to establish control over fluid transport have involved surgical procedures for a rearrangement of muscles and fascias with or without the implantation of bone segments or inert foreign bodies for the purpose of appropriate compression of the tubes.
Still other means have been suggested requiring major surgery, which establishes control by the fluid pressure exerted by silicone filled elements placed adjacent the duct with control straps or tubes extending, often over a considerable distance, to an accessible control point. Considerable postoperative treatment is generally required and the results are not always as satisfactory as one might reasonably wish.
Previous means having moving elements face the additional problem of being susceptable to tissue infusion over a period of time, thereby preventing the relative movement necessary for correct operation and ultimately resulting in failure of the control means.
Examples of prior art are to be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,731,670; 3,642,004; 3,419,008; 2,921,584 and 2,455,859.